1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for controlling an image reading apparatus for sequentially reading images of documents placed on a document plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a device for digitalizing data of an image displayed on a paper medium and inputting the digitalized data into a PC or the like, an image input device such as an imaging scanner or a multifunction device is used. If an image is read, a user sets a document on an image reading apparatus and presses a reading start instruction button provided with the image reading apparatus so as to start reading of the image.
Such a reading start instruction button and a reading termination instruction button are provided with image reading apparatuses so as to prevent a user who is using the image reading apparatus connected to a network from being interrupted from another user.
However, if the above-described image reading procedure is performed for a plurality of documents and a plurality of read images are stored as one file, it is impossible to transmit file storage start information, file storage continuation information, file storage termination information, etc. to an application and prevent file storage being interrupted by another job.
If a user misplaces a document or places a page different from a desired page on a document plate of an image reading apparatus and discards/cancels a read image, the user is required to move from the image reading apparatus to a personal computer so as to retrieve the read image and discard the retrieved image in the personal computer. This is a cumbersome and inefficient operation.